Nasdaq Short-Sale Level Rises
To New Record Amid Worries

By

Craig Karmin Staff Reporter of The Wall Street Journal

Updated April 27, 2003 9:25 p.m. ET

NEW YORK -- Despite an end to the fighting in Iraq, short-selling levels on the Nasdaq Stock Market rose for the fourth consecutive month, hitting a new high, as investors continued to worry about the state of the economy and corporate profits.

The number of short-selling positions not closed out, known as short interest, rose 2.8% to a record 4,456,502,765 shares for the month through April 15 from 4,335,164,375 on March 14. As...